School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya
Kenya: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 690,682 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
690,682
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
19th
of 222 countries
All-time high
711,324
in 2016
All-time low
206,089
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya stood at 690,682.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya peaked at 711,324 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 206,089, in 1970.
Kenya ranks 19th of 222 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 206,089 | — |
| 1971 | 214,673 | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 222,941 | +3.9% |
| 1973 | 230,275 | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 237,884 | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 245,999 | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 253,886 | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 262,491 | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 269,344 | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 276,179 | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 283,584 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 292,540 | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 302,451 | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 311,671 | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 322,227 | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 333,297 | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 344,331 | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 357,783 | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 368,838 | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 379,771 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 392,570 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 404,657 | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 417,232 | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 428,512 | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 436,395 | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 443,925 | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 448,565 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 452,962 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 455,943 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 462,051 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 469,713 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 483,694 | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 496,500 | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 511,493 | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 529,769 | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 544,755 | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 563,396 | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 583,918 | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 601,585 | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 616,172 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 632,923 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 649,924 | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 666,806 | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 685,566 | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 700,016 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 708,759 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 711,324 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 707,044 | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 698,346 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 688,335 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 685,953 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 688,790 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 688,256 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 689,312 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 692,410 | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 690,682 | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 241,976 | 206,089 | 276,179 | 10 |
| 1980s | 329,649 | 283,584 | 379,771 | 10 |
| 1990s | 434,281 | 392,570 | 462,051 | 10 |
| 2000s | 540,100 | 469,713 | 616,172 | 10 |
| 2010s | 684,904 | 632,923 | 711,324 | 10 |
| 2020s | 689,234 | 685,953 | 692,410 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 23.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 170,289 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 135,124 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 273,073 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 29.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 338,073 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 19.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya was 690,682 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 711,324 in 2016.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 206,089 in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Kenya ranks 19th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release